This video makes the argument that many of the classic muscle cars were dangerous because of their extreme horsepower and poor suspension, poor handling (front heavy), marginal drum brakes and few safety features. 12 Most Dangerous Muscle Cars Ever Made!
I've owned 5 of those 12 and still own a 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda 340 Pistol Grip 4 Speed with 4.11's and Sure-Grip that I've owned since buying and restoring her in 1993 when I was in my 20's. I restored it but used modern technology like 4 wheel disc, upgraded torsion bars, added 3-point seat belts, and the 340 engine was a police package roller motor I'd rebuilt myself with the newest tech we had in the 1990s so a step up even from what the car was when it was new both in safety and responsiveness. I have three sets of wheels for her... a stock set for car shows. and a aftermarket set with performance tires for regular street driving, and another set for the track. Yes, they could be very dangerous. I had a friend who was afraid of my 'Cuda back in '95 because I let him drive it once and we ended up pointing the wrong way because he touched the gas too hard not ready for the power (and that was with modern BFG Comp T/A radials at the time). My dad, a Master Mechanic and car guy himself and very experienced with things like 1962 Impala SS (the car I learned to drive in), 1970 Oldsmobile 442s, and a string of other very powerful cars of the 1960s and early 1970s and used to drag race himself on the local circuit. Dad thought it was funny Bruce was afraid of my car and said he didn't know how to handle a powerful car. Then one day, my dad needed a ride somewhere and I came by to pick him up... I'd lightly sprained my wrist earlier in the week at work, so I told my dad why he don't he drive because shifting was bothering my wrist. First time he'd ever driven my 'Cuda. We went down their street and when we came out to the main highway (2 lane country highway, 45 mph as it passed through a residential area but many people never slowed down from 55+). We needed to turn left, crossing the closest lane of traffic. Now, there wasn't much traffic but there was a rise in the road just 60 yards +/- to the left in the direction we needed to go and it meant you couldn't see beyond it if anything was coming. Dad waited for the one car that was coming from the right to pass and started to pull out but, just then, a small dump truck came over that rise. We were already out in the lane so had to go on and get out of the way... so dad did what he'd done thousands of times before over many years in any number of other cars when that kind of thing happened, which was to push the gas a little harder to just get on out of the way. Only this was my 'Cuda and what happened next was instead of turning left and just getting out of the truck's way, the rear end broke loose and, before dad could even get his foot off the gas, in just a split second, the 'Cuda had turned itself 270 degrees. Instead of turning north on the highway we were now facing south with a truck bearing down on our butt. Dad cussed under his breath (he RARELY cussed) as the car came to a stop. I looked over my shoulder and yelled TRUCKS COMING! PUNCH HER AND JUST GO STRAIGHT! Dad muttered CRAP! As he punched it, the 'Cuda launched like a drag car leaving two tracks and a lot of smoke for the next 25 yards. About 10-12 seconds later, after the tires had stopped spinning and we were down the road and no longer in ANY danger of the truck ever catching up, he said CRAP! again and I said yeah, that was close! And he said YEAH!, BUT NO... I'M DOING OVER 100, as he finally let off the gas. A mile down the road, he pulled into a gas station and just sat there catching his breath, then looked at me and said "WHAT did you build? This girl is insane." We finally pulled out again and he was MUCH easier on the gas, like Bruce, he was now afraid of her. But I built her and, in 30+ years, I've never even came close to wrecking her, on the street, the track, or the drag strip. I know what to expect and can feel what she's doing. Let me point out about that video though. They made a LOT of mistakes, listing wrong packages, wrong options, and referring to several old Mopars as being unsafe because they were unibodies and talking about cars that had frames. They showed a picture of a 1970 'Cuda when talking about the 1970 Buick and showed a frame of a Toyota truck when talking about one of the other cars. ~SouthernGypsy
What can also get one in trouble is a non LSD car with enough power to spin the tires too easily taking you sideways especially once you've got some speed up! The earliest gen 3 Challenger R/T's with auto trans and a variety of even earlier Chargers had the open rear diffs until the LSD eventually became standard equipment. I've come close to losing control as a result of this issue in a heavily modified BMW w/out the LSD in the rear to balance out the power delivery when the tires break loose in 2nd gear!
